The following content contains spoilers from The Marginal Service, Season 1, episode 2, currently streaming on Crunchyroll. While The Marginal Service members all appear to be a bunch of muscle-loving, iron-pumping egomaniacs (which, technically, nobody is denying), they are also highly qualified, skilled combatants, formerly trained as mercenaries, spies, detectives, and the like.
Their mission? Protecting the world from superpowered monsters, but only the really bad ones; no need to out all the creatures poses as humans, now is there? Brian Knightrader got a rude introduction to the concept of Borderlanders and has to swiftly pick up the tricks of the trade if he is to survive his new supernatural detective career path.
"Aliens Vs Monsters"
Borderlanders, also known as "the Gray Shock," first made their presence known ten years ago when Earth was under threat of a hostile alien invasion. These epic, mythological-looking heroes swooped in to protect the defenseless humans, blowing their cover in the process. Fortunately for them, this news did not become common knowledge (despite the video footage), so society continued in ignorant peace, ignoring the conspiracy theories featuring unimaginable events. And the few superhuman beings that have been spotted throughout history have been subsequently nicknamed "cryptids, apparitions, or UMAs."
Each Borderlander controls a different paranormal ability and are supposedly all registered in a database so that the UN can keep tabs. Generally speaking, the Borderlanders can slip seamlessly into society and live out a relatively normal life; however, much like with humans, there will always be a couple of bad seeds in the batch. That's where the United Nations Immigration Bureau Special Investigation Unit, The Marginal Service, comes in.
This de-facto supernatural police force upholds the many regulations placed upon these incredible creatures and spreads disinformation to comfort the masses. And, of course, also eliminate rogue rapscallions who defy the law (like a discreet version of My Hero Academia'sHero Public Safety Commission.) However, besides their cool weaponry, combat experience, and pique physical forms, these humans (well, that's assuming they are actually human, frankly, who knows anymore) have nothing extra aiding them in dominating the superpowered entities.
Nostalgic Easter Eggs
This creative series references iconic masterpieces such as Ghostbusters, which seems to be a major influencing factor behind The Marginal Service's rather absurd attire, coupled with their paranormal job description. The memorable Proton packs have been replaced with oversized, specialized, retro-styled guns that all pack a rather electrifying punch. There are also some Men In Black vibes thrown into the mix, provided by the visiting extraterrestrials (and their undesirable probing) and further accentuated by the Roswell namedropping.
However, despite The Marginal Service's similarities with these cult classics, it's safe to say that Zeno and his crew still provide a unique viewing experience. Who's ever heard of a UFO spreading contaminants over the crash-landing site, that prompts potent mushroom growth, which are subsequently turned into narcotics to be distributed among humans and mutants alike? Furthermore, not being able to differentiate between humans and Borderlanders certainly increases the difficulty level, too, particularly when there is no way of telling what their powers may be, or how many times one has to shoot them before they remain dead. More often than not, this seems to be a game of chance, with the highest stakes one could offer; their life.
Fan-Service: Hits and Misses
In most cases, only one half-witted musclehead is needed as a token mascot to simultaneously elevate and diminish the group standard, as with Mash (Mashle: Magic and Muscle), Taiju (Dr. Stone), and many more. However, in The Marginal Service's case, the team is overrun with bulking buffoonery, providing ample comedic opportunities to ease the tension of the rather severe situation. Zeno, on the other hand, looks like he's never cracked a smile in his life, which only emphasizes the ridiculousness of his coworkers even further, whereas the "normal guy," Brian doesn't know who to take seriously anymore. Yet regardless of their "mindless adoration of muscles" and constant need to compete with one another, these guys still somehow manage to get the job done!
Near-invisible, shapeshifting mutants, destructive Martians, and ambitious occult detectives are a dime a dozen in the television and film industry, but it's not often one all finds these themes conveniently gathered into one anime series. This particular combination of seemingly conflicting tropes has resulted in something truly special! Unfortunately, despite the carefully calculated use of fan service throughout the series, The Marginal Service has gone unnoticed by many anime fans so far. Most are assumedly put off by the brazen, nearly nude official posters, (which leave more of a BL impression than a supernatural detective agency) and with such an action-packed Spring 2023 lineup, not enough people are taking the time to give The Marginal Service a shot. Anyone who enjoys sci-fi, fantasy detective-type storylines and could do with a good chuckle, should definitely check this hidden gem out.